


Stranges

by kobusrain



Category: BEYOOOOONDS (Band), Hello! Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - Original, Conflict, Gen, Good versus Evil, Murder, Superpowers, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:55:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28198020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kobusrain/pseuds/kobusrain
Summary: They lived in a world where having superpowers was considered rare, and they were rightfully dubbed as "Stranges". Three runaways find themselves unwillingly dragged in a long conflict while getting their powers under control.
Kudos: 7





	1. Runaways

Her hands were already soiled with blood. Before Shiori knew it, she already held onto a crowbar charged with her powers. The room, covered in the sickening crimson colour, felt so empty and so silent that Shiori felt as if she was going to go insane if she stayed there any longer. 

The situation rooted from a simple argument between Shiori and her apartment roommate, but within the snap of a finger, Shiori already had her hands on the weapon that her roommate had summoned, and lost all reason until the apartment walls were covered with blood. Her friend’s lifeless body sprawled across the coffee table, head bashed in and indistinguishable while their blood covered most of their body. No pool of blood formed underneath them.

For a moment, Shiori stared at the mess in fear, but in a split second something in her snapped. 

“Serves you right,” she whispered with a small snicker, kicking the body off the coffee table as her eyebrows furrowed. Shiori knew that if she stayed there any longer, she would definitely get caught. Leaving everything in the apartment as it is, Shiori fled. Fleeing her old self, and old life, in broad daylight. 

As Shiori ran to the only other place she knew, she thought about what she would do thereon. Her thoughts rampaged as well as her feelings, heart accelerating with each hard step she took against the asphalt. She reached the large building, and as she did, she saw two more figures gather around her. 

They were also bloody, like she had been, telling her that they did the same thing she had just done. Murdered a person in cold blood, or maybe even more. She could see that the tallest one, Kokoro, had the most blood on her, but had the cleanest hands out of the three. The second one, Minami, looked far too innocent for someone who looked disheveled, and held a blood stained kitchen knife. 

It only took them one look at each others’ eyes before they took off in the direction of the forest, in solidarity with one another.

* * *

The world was a cruel one. The three children figured it out the hard way, after having committed murder. 

They lived in a world where superpowers were rare, and made children like them uncontrollable until they became adults as they bore side effects that affected the mind, as well as their emotions. Because of this, special institutions in every city opened up in order to help those with superpowers, rightfully dubbed the Stranges, control the side effects of their powers as well as to master them. Some, like Shiori and Kokoro, were still allowed to return home and treated the institution as a school, whereas some like Minami knew the institution as their only home. 

But the outside world had been unforgiving to the Stranges. Normal humans did not take well to those with superpowers, and saw them as threats. Anyone who ran away from the institution -- and there had been a few of those as far as Shiori knew -- were hunted down by the institution’s staff as well as local police. They were either dragged back to the institution and locked up, or killed on sight by the police. It depended on who got to them first. 

Fortunately, Shiori, Kokoro, and Minami were able to escape both, or rather, no one had even noticed they were on the run until they were out of the city, despite their blood-stained clothing. The three of them found a bungalow deep in the forest, uninhabited and spacious enough for them to live in. 

As they travelled, they had not exchanged many words with one another. They agreed on talking after they found shelter for the evening. Minami was getting visibly exhausted from all the walking they did, which told Shiori and Kokoro that the young girl had not been used to taking long walks. She was the only one out of the three to be a full-time goer in the institution, and it made them wonder how restricted Minami was. 

But the child remained cheerful, smiling the whole time despite her feet clearly aching. She still kept going, much to the chagrin of Kokoro who insisted on taking breaks. They eventually made it to the bungalow, and Minami collapsed right into a sitting position against the wall. “Wah, finally!” Minami sighed, though the way she sounded did not seem like she was complaining. Instead, her voice was laced with nothing but joy, as if she was a child excited for a school trip. 

“We’re pretty deep in the forest, huh? I wonder if this belongs to someone,” mumbled Kokoro, observing the nooks and crannies of the mostly empty room. Cobwebs and dust caked the room, leaving them to do a lot of cleaning. 

“You can tell no one lives here,” Shiori almost snapped, gesturing to the spider webs gathered in the corners. “Anyway, we need to make a game plan. This is where we’re going to live now that we don’t have a home.” 

Kokoro did not seem to react well to this, considering how they never really knew one another to begin with, and had only agreed to stick together without the use of words. They simply found a common thing about them in one look. “Why don’t we _properly_ introduce ourselves first? We’re all from the institution, right? If we’re going to live together, we may as well figure out what kind of powers we’re dealing with here, you know?” 

Minami nodded, though she remained sitting on the floor. “Agreed! Who wants to go first?” she asked, remaining bubbly as ever. However, both Kokoro and Shiori did not speak up, so Minami frowed for a moment. “Okay, I guess I’ll go first!” At her cue, the other two sat down, forming a triangle so they could face one another. 

Then Minami’s smile dropped. “My power is… It’s complicated,” she mumbled, holding up the bloody kitchen knife she had. A glint in her eyes appeared for a split second, before the smile on her face was replaced with a more sinister one. The blade pulsated with a dark energy, and as she swung it, she laughed. “I used this to kill people.” Minami’s voice dropped an octave or two, sending a shiver down Kokoro’s spine. 

“What the…” 

The energy disappeared, and as Minami set her arm down, she shut her eyes and remained silent. It was also cue for Kokoro or Shiori to start talking. Still in shock, however, Kokoro passed the baton to Shiori, who only sighed in frustration. 

The air turned grim. It was clear that none of them wanted to talk about their powers, not even Minami. Being from the institution, they still had so much to learn about their powers, and so little under their control. One mistake and things could turn fatal. That much, they knew, and shared the thought with one another. Shiori did not hold up the crowbar, and instead threw it off to the side. 

“Electricity. I can pretty much do what she can, except I… I have a habit of blowing up circuit boards, so don’t bother giving me a phone or anything,” she mumbled grumpily, hiding under the high collar of her institution-issued coveralls. “What about you?” 

Kokoro bit her bottom lip, and instead of making a move she only remained in her spot, eyes fixated on the ground. “Hallucinations,” she mumbled, ending the conversation there. There was no need to show them, she thought, as she might just end up driving them to insanity. At that point, she was also exhausted. 

They no longer needed to exchange any more words. Minami had also gone back to being bubbly once Kokoro finished, which the two found rather odd, but decided not to question it any longer. By the time their discussion finished, it had already been sunset. The three children were already exhausted, and needed some well-deserved rest. They would figure things out the next day. 

So Kokoro and Minami gathered up some leaves, or anything they could sleep on, and Shiori barred up the door with branches so no one could intrude on them should anyone come across the bungalow. 

They would figure things out properly the next day, when their minds were refreshed and bodies no longer sore. The bungalow was quiet, and Shiori remained awake for a few minutes unlike Minami, who immediately fell asleep, and Kokoro, who had to isolate herself from the other two just so she would not cause any sleep-related hallucinations.

* * *

The three children thought they could survive with what they had. 

After finding out that Minami had a natural talent for cooking, they split up their jobs. Shiori hunted, being more proficient with the weapons they had, while Kokoro did her best to build some furniture. For the most part, they were functioning, being able to prevent their powers from going rampant. 

They surprisingly got along well, which Shiori found unbelievable. While they did not let their powers go rampant, their emotions got the best of them from time to time. Shiori got mad at the littlest of things, especially when Kokoro seemed too overprotective of her. Minami, on the other hand, would be prone to having her mood turn a complete 180 at the most unpredictable of times. Still, the three of them somehow got along, finding a way around their emotional outbursts while learning about one another. 

Since they only had one another, they became a family. They only had each other to protect, and to be protected by.

The three of them were ready to survive many years, but it only took them two months before a group of Stranges found Shiori hunting one day. They were adults, but Shiori could tell that they, too, were runaways from the institution. 

The one who found her first was a short lady who seemed to act as the leader of the trio. She called out to her, after witnessing her blade spark up. 

“Hey! You there!” exclaimed the brown-haired woman, jogging up to her with a small pant. “You’re a…Strange, aren’t you?” Immediately Shiori got defensive, holding up her electricity-infused blade and ready to fight. The woman, however, showed no signs of wanting to attack. “No, no, it’s okay! I’m also a Strange. In fact, the two with me are also Stranges. Are you...all on your own?”

Shiori furrowed her eyebrows. She watched as two more women came up to her. The one with the scowl on her face said nothing, and the taller woman awkwardly tried to step over the bones of the animal Shiori hunted for. “... I’m not. I have two more with me,” she cautiously said, as if to invoke some sort of fear, though she started to drop her guard a little when she realized she needed to get back. 

Quietly, Shiori gestured for them to follow, though looked at the group of women suspiciously. “Ah, I’m Kurumi, by the way,” said the short woman. “This one here is Rika,” Kurumi introduced, gesturing at the one scowling before continuing, “and the tall one is Honoka.” 

“Shiori, and the other ones with me are Minami and Kokoro. Let me guess… You guys are also runaways, right?” 

They arrived at the bungalow before any of the women could answer. Minami was already preparing her makeshift stove to cook with, while Kokoro helped her with the fire. Upon seeing just how primitive the three children lived, Rika clicked her tongue and Kurumi sighed. Honoka remained quiet, but nudged Rika a little to keep her from saying anything rude. 

“Shiori….” Minami cautiously said, shuffling to hide behind Kokoro. She had her hand on the tall girl’s arm, gripping it a little too tightly. 

“That’s it. I’ve decided,” Kurumi spoke up so suddenly, glancing quickly at the two scared children and the confused Shiori. It also seemed to bewilder the two women with her, as they figured out where this would be headed. They knew Kurumi too much, after all. However, Kurumi only stared at the children with serious eyes. 

Then she grinned.

“We’re taking you under our wing.”


	2. Split

The room remained silent after Kurumi’s declaration. 

The first one to break it was Rika, who clicked her tongue in irritation. “Now why the hell would you say that to a bunch of kids you just met?” she retorted, earning a glare from Kurumi while the three children stood there, confused. 

“Can’t you feel it? The energy that they hold? Because I certainly can,” Kurumi replied, ignoring the irritation in Rika’s tone of voice. The way they reacted to one another made it clear they were only barely tolerating one another, but stuck together for a reason that Shiori couldn't care less about. “They were very much like us, and they managed to survive without ever getting caught by the institution or the police. I think that’s very impressive.” 

“Kurumi’s right, you know? A-aside from us, I think they’re the only Stranges that survived after escaping the institution,” added Honoka, though her voice was quiet. She seemed like she did not want to intervene, especially when Rika clicked her tongue for the third time since their meeting (Shiori had been counting; she could tell Rika had a habit). Honoka had flinched, and so did Minami who now hid behind Shiori instead of Kokoro.

Rika scoffed. “If they can survive  _ years, _ like we did, then maybe I’ll find it impressive. They’re nothing but kids.” She tried not to click her tongue once more, but instead turned away to let Kurumi do the rest of the talking. Rika picked up an apple from the table, watching as it instantly split without Rika doing a single thing, before she started to eat it. No, she definitely did something -- it had been her power. 

Feeling left out, and slightly irritated by Rika’s words, Shiori decided to speak. 

“So are you adults just going to talk amongst yourselves or are you going to actually, I don’t know, let us  _ in _ on what’s going on?” Shiori sighed, pulling Minami closer just so she could hear better. Kokoro also sighed, pulling up a chair just so she could be level with everyone else. 

Kurumi shook her head. “My apologies. But.... Before we get into it, though, why don’t we show each other our powers and properly introduce ourselves. I think that’s a good way to get to know each other, right?” 

Rika let out an exasperated sigh, unable to hold in another click of her tongue. It was getting rather annoying, Shiori thought. 

“You’re full of shit, you know that?” Though as Kurumi sighed from her response and gestured for everyone to follow her outside, possibly to prevent any sort of destruction to happen within the bungalow, Rika followed suit after grabbing the entire basket of fruits nonchalantly as if it was hers. “Watch, because I’m not doing it again.” 

She touched an apple in the basket and instantly the apple split in half. Since everyone already saw this, they did not react, but the next thing Rika did got more attention than the last. She took a banana, and within seconds it  _ shattered _ . The shards of it, however, were nowhere to be seen. Minami, who was extremely intrigued by Rika’s abilities, peeked out a little and even smiled slightly. Shiori caught sight of this, and could tell that Minami was somehow relieved, for a reason she did not know. 

Rika clicked her tongue, making Minami flinch and Shiori sigh. The clicking of her tongue was getting on her nerves, feeling as if it was Rika’s way of saying she was better than everyone. “Hey, quit doing that, will you? It’s getting annoying,” Shiori demanded, but Rika did not listen and clicked her tongue again, this time more aggressive than the last just to provoke her as she dropped the basket of fruits. Shiori did not back down. 

“Are you fucking challenging me?” 

“If you don’t stop that, then maybe I will.”

Kokoro stepped in, pulling Shiori back and holding her until she calmed down. Kurumi also did the same with Rika. “Okay, no fighting. Let’s not be rude to the adults,” said Kokoro. Shiori huffed, but calmed down almost immediately thanks to Kokoro’s gentle hands. Rika, however, could not hide her own irritation as she yanked her arm away from Kurumi’s grasp. The shorter woman looked exhausted at that point, but gave cue to any of the three children to show theirs. “Ours is um…” Kokoro hesitated, though she took a glance at Rika. Their eyes met, and within seconds, the older fell to the ground in shock. 

“What just happened?!” Honoka exclaimed. Kokoro bitterly smiled. 

“Hallucinations. I’m so sorry about that.”

With her face red from humiliation after recovering from the shock, Rika stood up and was about to charge at Kokoro until both Shiori and Minami intervened. They both held onto daggers that glowed with their own power, albeit very unrefined. Shiori’s electricity had been going rampant, sending sparks flying in the air, while Minami’s dark energy started to flow out of the weapon and onto her arm. 

But Rika saw something, a glint in Minami’s eyes that did not seem  _ normal _ . The glow of her eyes appeared almost  _ artificial _ , but no one noticed this except for her. “H-hey, guys! It’s okay!” Kokoro insisted, placing a hand on both of their shoulders. Minami turned, and the glint on her eyes disappeared. She smiled at the taller, almost apologetically, but also in relief. 

“Interesting…. Do you mind if we have a turn?” Kurumi asked. “Although… I can’t really demonstrate mine… What about you, Honoka?” 

Honoka shook her head, however. It almost seemed as if she was scared of her own power. In a way, the three children could find this relatable, as after using their own powers they fell silent almost in regret. 

With a wry smile, Kurumi stepped up once more. “Alright… Maybe… Maybe we’ll let you pack up anything you want to bring, and we’ll take you to a much better home.” 

“Hold on!” Shiori interrupted. As she stuffed her blade in the sheath strapped to her waist, she continued, “we never agreed to go with you! What makes you think we’ll just go with a bunch of people we just met today? Especially when two of you didn’t even show us your powers?” The other two nodded. Kurumi, however, only smiled again. 

“Because we can help you with your powers. Much better than the institution can. Trust us on this one.”

* * *

The three children could have sworn Kurumi’s power must have had something to do with persuasion, as they agreed without any more questions. 

It had only been three days since Shiori, Kokoro, and Minami moved in with the three Stranges, but they have not had an opportunity to do some training like Kurumi promised. The adults were possibly trying to discuss how they’ll help the three children, but it got to the point where they were noticeably avoiding them around the house.

It irritated Shiori a little to be ignored like so. This was not what she signed up for. 

As they sat around in their room, unable to do anything but entertain themselves with whatever was provided to them, Shiori let out an exasperated sigh. “Let’s run away.” 

Minami sat up, with an innocent look on her face. “Where did that come from all of a sudden?” she asked, head tilting as a child would. “If we run, we’d have a higher risk of being found…”

“Then we’ll go back to the woods. Out of the two months we lived there, no one found us. No institution people, or the police. They were the only ones who found us because they were  _ looking _ . If they find us again, we’ll just tell them we’re not coming back.” Shiori started to pack her belongings, which had not been much. Only a few clothing items they stole over the past two months. “Besides… That Shimakura irritates me a lot. I really don’t want to have to stay here and hear her goddamn tongue clicking.” 

Pondering over it, Kokoro hesitantly started to pack her stuff as well. “... You have a point… We were already surviving without their help,” she added. The two of them looked at Minami, who now hesitated. “Minami, come on. I can tell you’re scared of them. You haven’t been smiling much since we got here.” 

“I… I am… but…” 

“Minami.” Shiori was firm, placing her hands on her shoulders and looking at her straight in the eyes. “Being scared isn’t going to help us control our powers. I know you want to get yours under control, but if they’re not going to help, then screw them. They never had the obligation to watch over us to begin with, and they’re just a bunch of strangers that probably have a hidden agenda, for all we know.” 

Minami still was not convinced, but the look in Shiori’s eyes told her more than enough. They were right; Minami was definitely scared, and it felt like a  _ negative side _ of her would take over if she did not keep her fear in check. “... A-alright… I’ll go.” 

Within minutes they finished packing, and snuck out of the house one by one through the window. Without looking back, they broke into a run, dashing straight to the forest just as they did the first day they met. 

Except things did not go as smoothly as last time. 

They were stopped by two police cars that contained about five cops, who seemed adamant about having a little chat with three minors in the middle of the night. “Now where are you three off to?” asked a gruff-toned man who leaned against the car. The children ignored them, until one pointed out the glint in Minami’s eyes. 

The rough man nudged the others. “Hey. That kid’s eyes…” 

“They’re Stranges!” 

Minami did not appear afraid, despite Shiori and Kokoro standing in front of her. Since there was no point in hiding it, Shiori charged her dagger up, only for it to be snatched by Minami. “What are you doing? Stand back!” she exclaimed, but the girl charged forward and stabbed the first cop, letting the darkness consume his body. 

With no other choice, the cops pulled out their guns while Shiori and Kokoro hid behind the car. In a rush, Shiori stole a piece of metal from under the car and charged it up with her electricity, yet it drew her back. Angrily, she hurled the metal instead, with some of the electricity still intact that it managed to shock another cop. 

They were starting to call for back-up, naming the three children hostile. Kokoro tried to make eye contact with the cops, but felt the impact on her right shoulder. A bullet sent her flat to the ground, crying out in pain as Shiori and Minami continued to fight. Back-up arrived, and they were soon outnumbered. The rain started, which made Shiori’s power grow even more uncontrollable, and made Minami go even more wild. 

But as thunder cracked, they heard a loud tongue click.

Minami flinched, and the glow in her eyes disappeared. Shiori and Kokoro looked at the direction of the sound, and surely enough the one person who it could belong to had shown up. 

Rika came alone, as thunder roared behind her. Her face was concealed with a full head mask, yet the three children knew who she was perfectly. “Officers. Hands off,” she stated, placing a gloved hand on one of the policemen. Instantly, he split in half, in the most gruesome way the three children had ever seen. The cops directed their shots at her, but Rika remained calm and used a torn off car door as a shield. Within seconds she split the cops with a single touch, and the remaining few, scared of Rika’s abilities, fled. 

“That’s right. Stay back,” she sneered, looking at the carnage with a sickeningly joyful smile before she turned towards the three children trying to keep themselves in one piece. In particular, her eyes landed on Minami, who now shuddered in fear especially from the gruesome display. The child had to step back, unable to tear her eyes away from the carnage. 

Rika clicked her tongue again. 

“Now what are you  _ kids _ doing out here in a late hour?” The woman crouched down and helped Kokoro up roughly. “Get back in the house or I’ll split you.” She turned away and started to lead the children home, eyes darting back once more at Minami before clearing her throat. “We’ll explain things to you.”

But at that point, even Rika was exhausted. They -- or at least Kurumi -- decided to let them simply get cleaned up and head to bed after seeing the poor state they were in. With a mutual understanding that things will be explained the next day, everyone passed out almost immediately.

* * *

The next day came by, and everyone slept until past noon. 

While Kurumi had been encouraging them to get up at early times for the past three days, this time she had allowed it considering how tired everyone was during the previous night. The three children gathered in the dining room, where Kurumi had made them a nice brunch and Honoka played a soft melody on the grand piano nearby. Rika also followed suit and everyone, including Honoka, sat down. 

“About yesterday…” Kurumi started, with a grim look on her face. Before anyone could start eating, they had their full attention on the woman at the head of the table. “I’m going to apologize on Rika’s behalf… I realized that she gave you a frightful image last night, and don’t worry, I’ve diverted the attention off you three after that reckless encounter.” The woman sighed, only taking a glance at the proud look on Rika’s face. She seemed used to Rika’s antics, and while Honoka appeared slightly afraid, she, too, was used to it. 

“Rika has a...tendency...to get violent, but you three don’t have to worry about that. She will spit out threats to any of us, but she won’t follow through.” Then Kurumi cleared her throat, despite the worry painted on the three children’s faces. She wanted to change subjects, even when knowing the three were not convinced by what she had just said.

“I’m sorry it took this long but… We’ve finally decided how we’ll train you,” Kurumi continued on, urging the children to start eating. “We’ll each take one of you, and work one-on-one with your powers.” 

Kokoro, who struggled to eat with her left hand, had a skeptical look on her face. “So… you were just trying to decide who to pick out of the three of us?” she asked, somehow less than pleased, but Shiori stopped her. The shorter girl seemed to understand immediately what kind of decision the three adults made, and why they did so. 

Though it was only an assumption, Shiori went ahead. “Is it because your powers match ours?” She set her fork down momentarily. “We don’t even know your power, Kurumi, and Honoka’s, too… Are you really sure you’re going to be able to help us?” 

They heard the click of Rika’s tongue. It seemed even louder when Rika was still trying to wake up. “Listen, you  _ puny child _ , we’ve had experiences that you wouldn’t know. You’re damn lucky we’re even offering this to you,” she retorted, as a hand pushed her back to her seat. “Am I not wrong, Kurumi? Honoka?” 

“Just be quiet, and stop clicking your tongue,” Kurumi responded, pinching the bridge of her nose in exhaustion. Despite being used to Rika’s tendencies, she was also quite tired of it and it showed. “But Rika’s right. We have the experience, and yes, our powers are very similar to yours. Not only that, but because you’re only adolescent Stranges, your powers grow uncontrollable based on your feelings. That’s the sign of immaturity as a Strange, and a terrible side effect at that... Starting today, Kokoro will be my pupil, Shiori’s will be Honoka’s, and Minami will be Rika’s.” 

Shiori had to prevent herself from standing up and grabbing Rika by the collar, especially when she saw Minami flinch and shake in fear once more. Instead, she bit her tongue and refused to say anything. Kokoro, on the other hand, only sighed in relief, though appeared rather worried immediately after.

There were no protests, but no one agreed to anything either. Kurumi moved the conversation on her own. “Well. That’s settled. Starting the next day, we’ll all start practicing, so finish up your food and prepare yourselves for tomorrow!”

Shiori sighed, thinking about how tough it had been just to be born a Strange. 

_ I really hate this.  _


	3. Mentor and Student

“So, did you find anyone interesting?” 

Two figures gathered in an empty hall, situating themselves on the chairs facing a triangle-shaped table, one on each line. The one who spoke up, a woman who wore her hair short under the black beanie she donned, leaned on the table with her arms crossed. The other one, a long haired woman with a devilish glint in her eyes, only chuckled. 

“I found two. One of them is an Artificial, I think,” the long haired woman stated with a sinister smile. “But we should wait until Reina gets here before I show you who they were. What about you, Miyo? Did you find anyone  _ interesting? _ ” She said the last part in a mocking way, making the woman named Miyo scoff in irritation. 

“Why, yes I did, Utano,” she replied, just as mockingly. “Only one, though. Also an Artificial with an interesting power. Maybe I even met her face to face.” 

“You did?” 

“ _ Maybe. _ ” 

Utano stood up. “Don’t fuck with me, Hirai,” she bellowed. “You know we’re not supposed to meet with those kids face to face! Reina will  _ kill _ you!” But Miyo only chuckled, leaning back against her chair and placing her hands behind the back of her head. She looked relaxed, which irritated Utano even further. 

“I never said I did. I just said  _ maybe _ ,” answered Miyo, shutting her eyes with another light, yet teasing chuckle. “Though I can’t believe Reina’s really pulling through with this plan. Who knows what’s going on in that head of hers.” Just then, a third figure walked in and took the last empty seat in the triangle table. Utano and Miyo straightened up, eyes meeting with the sharp, cold ones that the third woman had. 

The woman took a deep breath, eyes shifting to Miyo. “Go first.” 

With a nod, Miyo cleared her throat and started talking. “Yamazaki Yuhane. A Pure Artificial. Her symptoms cause her to be a nervous mess constantly but her power makes for a strong weapon.” Then Miyo took out a dagger, making a small cut on her finger before she held out her hand. From the wound, blood leaked out and hardened up to the shape of a dagger. “This was the girl’s power, but to a greater extent, obviously.” 

“A Pure Artificial?” asked Utano. Miyo let the blood dagger disappear before she licked the blood off the wound, chuckling. 

“Artificials are Stranges that are experimented, right? There’s two subtypes of those,” Miyo began to explain. “Semi-Artificials are the ones who are born a Strange, but were experimented on to be given another perk to their power. Pure Artificials are born human, and are just given powers through experimentation. Am I right, Reina?” With a laid-back smile, her eyes then landed on the third woman, Reina, who only nodded in satisfaction from the easy explanation. 

“Artificials have a certain glow to their eyes. The Semi have a stronger glow to their eyes than the Pure, almost as if their eye colour are just naturally so, but their glow is more infrequent,” added Reina, earning a nod of contentment from Utano. “Definitely an intriguing power. Those bastards actually gave a human a useful weapon. Alright, Utano, your turn.” 

Utano took out two files in her bag. “I found two, and judging from your explanation, the first one I’m about to introduce is a Semi-Artificial. Her name is Eguchi Saya.” Then Utano began to change. She shifted to an image of a long-limbed girl with her hair tied in a ponytail. “Seems like her power is manipulating acid, using them to melt things.” 

She caught a glance of Miyo rolling her eyes as she changed back to her normal self. Utano could tell Miyo was judging her for shapeshifting. 

“Anyway, the second one is just a regular Strange. Kiyono Momohime.” Utano shifted again, this time to a girl with wavy hair, and an energetic resting expression. “She has psychokinesis, but out of the students she seems to have the most control over it which is unusual for someone as young as her.” 

As Utano turned back to her normal self, Reina nodded in understanding. “Good candidates. You two have found some worthwhile kids. I want you two to keep monitoring them for the next two days, while I figure out what kind of  _ memories _ I can give them,” Reina ordered, standing up from her spot. “Miyo, did you meet with that Yamazaki kid face to face.” 

Miyo nodded. 

“Alright. You can keep doing it so long as you don’t get caught.” 

Reina walked out of the room, while Utano looked flabbergasted. Miyo let out a hearty laugh, standing up from her seat as well. “Would you look at that? She didn’t kill me!” teased Miyo, going around the table just to pat Utano on the shoulder, before walking out of the room. Utano took a deep breath and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

“That Miyo just wants to make my job harder..”

* * *

Despite Kurumi saying they should prepare for the next day, none of them made a single move. The three of them pondered over too much to even consider 

Shiori, Kokoro, and Minami faced one another, each with their own swirling emotions and thoughts about who they got assigned to. Shiori was rather angry, though not because of the fact that she had the awkward woman as her mentor, but at the fact that Minami appeared fearful. They saw what Rika was capable of, and even Kurumi’s words helped little in easing them. Minami looked scared of making one wrong move, or she would suffer a cruel death like the policemen did the previous evening. 

With concern, Kokoro shifted closer to Minami, wrapping protective arms around her. She was unable to say anything that could calm her, and instead only hugged the child as tightly as she could. Minami trembled, the terror of yesterday’s gruesome display catching up to her. “I… I don’t think I can do this… I’m  _ scared _ ,” Minami mumbled. Hesitantly, she grabbed Shiori’s hand, who reached out to give her a pat on the back. “What if she gets mad at me…?” 

“Listen,” started Shiori, now gripping the other’s hand tightly in an attempt to reassure her. “I’m here.  _ We’re _ here. We’re not going to let that woman do anything to you, okay?” Firm with her words, and with the look on her eyes, Shiori was determined to let Minami know that she would be there to protect her. Out of the three of them, she had been the one who trusted the adults the least, and still thought they still had a hidden agenda of sorts. 

Because of this, Shiori had not dropped her guard once. 

Kokoro still held onto the other as she nodded in agreement to Shiori’s words. “She’s right, Minami. I… I don’t think Kurumi or Honoka would agree to let Rika train you if she was just going to blow a fuse and harm you. For now… I think we can trust Kurumi’s words…” 

That did little to reassure them, however they all agreed it was the only thing they could go by. Minami shrugged off Kokoro’s arms and remained silent, possibly to recollect her thoughts. For now, they would see how the training sessions would go.

With heavy hearts, the three of them started to prepare for the next day.

* * *

As the sun rays barely filtered through the thin curtains, the three children slept in their room with such peaceful looks on their faces. 

It was barely past 6 in the morning, yet Rika had walked in the room and headed straight to Minami. She furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of the girl childishly clinging onto a teddy bear while she slept soundly. The woman sighed, before clicking her tongue. “Hey, kid. Wake up. It’s time for training,” she called out, roughly nudging Minami. The girl did not stir, however, and Rika clicked her tongue again, this time louder. 

It got a sound out of Shiori, who groaned in irritation and covered her ears with her pillow. “Shut the fuck up,” Shiori said, though it was clear she was only sleep-talking and not actually awake. Scoffing, Rika shook Minami, to the point where she was rocking the bed and making Shiori press the pillow against her ears more. Finally, Minami’s eyes opened up. 

But at the sight of Rika, she flinched. 

“R-Rika…” she stammered, half asleep as she rubbed her eyes. “I’m… I’m sorry. Did I sleep in?” Minami quietly shuffled away from Shiori, who shared a bed with her, and got off the bed. Rika did not acknowledge her apology, and instead dished out another order. 

“Get dressed and meet me by the front door. We’re starting training. Don’t make me wait.” Firm with her words, Rika stared at Minami straight in the eye before turning away. Not wanting to anger Rika, Minami quickly grabbed some clothes and changed out of her pyjamas, freshening up. As she walked out, she made sure not to wake Kokoro, who slept in her own bed closest to the door. Within 10 minutes, she was out of her room and by the front door, where Rika waited. 

Rika only gestured for Minami to follow, walking out of the door. They made their way to the outskirts of the town and into a forest, where a secluded lake had been, hidden by the trees. As they arrived, the sun had only begun to rise, and Minami was able to see the beautiful sunrise for the first time in a while, possibly even for the first time ever. 

“I want to lay some rules now that you’re my apprentice, but before that…'' Rika drew out a switchblade hidden in her denim jacket, pointing it just inches away from Miimi’s throat. In retaliation, Minami grabbed a stick and charged it up with her dark energy before shoving the blade away, and the glint in her eyes returned. Then Rika put the switchblade away. “Yeah. That’s what I thought...” 

Minami, confused, held tightly onto the charged up stick but only drew it back a bit. The glow on her eyes did not disappear. “What are you talking about?” she asked, though in a voice unusually low pitched. “What? Are you scared of fighting now?” Minami threw her head back and let out a sinister laugh. 

Rika clicked her tongue, and the glow disappeared. Minami dropped the stick and she widened her eyes in confusion. 

“Kid, you’re a Semi-Artificial, aren’t you?” 

Minami stepped back. “H-How did you figure it out…?” she asked, trembling a little in fear. “Has that  _ negative side _ of me been taking over lately? I… I hope I didn’t hurt anyone…” Minami looked disturbed, fearful almost. But Rika only narrowed her eyes, without showing any compassion. 

“That  _ negative side _ of yours. That’s the side effect of your artificial power. The reason why I chose you to be my apprentice is because of that glint in your eyes. Those idiots, especially the two other kids, never noticed it, but I definitely did,” Rika explained in a sharper tone than usual. “So if that’s your artificial power, what’s your natural one? The one you’re born with?” 

But Minami did not respond. Instead she kept her attention at the stick she had dropped. “... I… I have no idea…” she answered, picking up the stick and trying to charge it up with  _ something _ other than her dark energy. She called with all her heart, and while it seemed for a moment the stick sparked with light, it was far too quick to make a judgement. “I’ve been so used to the dark energy. I can’t even summon it when I’m normal.” 

“You need a lot of work. Listen up to my rules, then,” Rika commanded, pointing at a nearby stump for Minami to sit down on. The child did, eyes and ears fully focused on Rika who now crouched down to pick up a nearby bug. “I don’t like repeating things, so you better get my instructions the first time or you’ll be in trouble. We’ll train every morning at this time, so wake up earlier because after today, I’m not getting you. You better get here before the sun rises. Do you understand me?” 

Minami nodded. Then Rika crushed the bug between her thumb and index finger.

“Good.” Rika pulled out another dagger, different from her switchblade from earlier, and handed it to Minami. The hilt, adorned with an amethyst jewel, caught Minami’s attention. “That’s your new weapon. Get used to holding it. Now get up because it’s time for a spar without your powers.” 

Minami nodded again, though her eyes were on the amethyst jewel on the dagger. It felt like Rika was trying to tell her a message with it. “An amethyst…” she whispered, but Rika did not hear her. Instead, Rika clicked her tongue and Minami was back on her feet. Rika had already drawn her switchblade out, urging Minami to fight without her powers. 

While thinking of the amethyst gem, the symbol of peace, Minami charged forward.

* * *

Kokoro was the second to wake up. As she looked at the clock on the wall, she thought it was a decent time to wake up. 

The girl woke up at 8 in the morning, and after getting herself ready for the day, she left Shiori to continue sleeping and wondered where Minami could have gone. In the two months they had lived together, Minami would usually be the last to wake up, being so bad with mornings. 

Heading to the dining room, she spotted Kurumi making breakfast for everyone. “Ah, good morning, Kokoro!” Kurumi greeted, gesturing for the girl to go ahead and sit at the dining table while she waited. “If you’re wondering where Minami is, she and Rika left earlier to start training, but they should be back soon in time for breakfast. We’ll start our own training after we eat.” 

“Kurumi…. What  _ is _ your power....? You never seem to tell us whenever the topic of powers is brought up,” Kokoro asked, beginning to fidget with her thumbs while Kurumi set down the food. 

But Kurumi only laughed. “You see, it’s just very hard for me to demonstrate, so I never talk about it. That’s on me, though, and I was saving it for later when we start training. Because you asked, though, I’ll tell you what it is.” She paused with serving food on the table, and sat down across from Kokoro. “I control dreams. I can put people to sleep and I’ll be able to give that sleeping person any type of dream…. Some bad enough to kill a person in their sleep.” 

Kokoro gulped nervously. 

“But don’t worry! To be honest, I rarely use my power. I only ever use it on Honoka to keep her from having nightmares, and even that isn’t that often. Rika gets all pissy when I try it on her, and I don’t want to particularly deal with a grumpy woman that splits things on a whim the morning after,” she stated, shrugging a little. Kurumi stood up and continued to serve the food. 

As Kurumi finished serving the food, Shiori finally came downstairs, rubbing her eyes as if she was still half asleep, but had already gotten ready. Honoka followed suit, and a few minutes later, Rika and a very exhausted Minami had walked in. “Wash your hands and take a seat, especially you two who just came from the lake.” She pointed at Rika and Minami. Everyone washed their hands and sat down to eat the breakfast Kurumi made. 

“I’m impressed you got to make all of these on your own, and they’re all just so good,” admitted Kokoro, with a small smile. 

“Ah, well, these two are hopeless with cooking, and it’s just fun to do,” admitted Kurumi, laughing as she ignored Rika clicking her tongue and glaring at her with such fire in her eyes. “Besides, you three kids are here now, so it makes for an excuse to spend more time in the kitchen.”

“It’s creepy complimenting yourself like that,” Rika murmured under her breath. Kurumi only shook her head and ignored it the best she could. The rest of them ate their breakfast like a quiet family.

Kokoro decided she would help with putting the dishes away when everyone finished eating. Kurumi diligently washed the dishes while happily humming a tune, while Kokoro wiped the dishes and put them away neatly. 

Everyone had already gone about their ways after breakfast. Rika and Minami went back to the lake to continue their training. Shiori and Honoka were in the backyard, beginning their training as well. As they finished washing the dishes, Kurumi flashed a gentle smile at Kokoro. “We’ll be doing our training upstairs, in the attic. Because your powers don’t require a big space, the attic should suffice,” she explained. Kokoro nodded in understanding. 

“But… How are we going to train, exactly?” 

Kurumi began to lead Kokoro up the stairs and into the attic. It was of decent sizing, and it was clear to Kokoro that Kurumi kept the place as clean as possible. The only thing in the attic, however, was a lone bed with what looked to be newly laundered sheets. “It’s not training, per se. Rather, I’m going to help you regulate your emotions better, as that’s the key to controlling your kind of power better.” Kurumi patted the bed, gesturing for Kokoro to sit or lie down. Kokoro chose to sit. 

“Did you have a good sleep last night? Sometimes the cause of raging emotions is from lack of a good night’s sleep.” 

Kokoro paused. She decided to be truthful, believing Kurumi’s words. “I wake up in the middle of the night for about an hour or two, out of panic. Last night was no different. Shiori and Minami are always sound asleep whenever I wake up, so I don’t think they know about it. It...it didn’t start happening until after I ran away from the institution, though,” admitted Kokoro, sighing a little. In understanding, Kurumi got Kokoro to lie down on the bed. 

“Do you mind if I take a look at your dreams, then?” she asked. Without any other words, Kokoro positioned herself in a comfortable position on the bed and shut her eyes, letting Kurumi do what she said she would. 

Within seconds, sleep came over Kokoro.

Kurumi was able to take a peek at Kokoro’s dreams after a minute or two of the child sleeping. It did not take long to realize that the girl was viewing a memory, seemingly of a recent one as well. Kokoro was in the institution, a place Kurumi has not seen in a long time, wearing her issued jumpsuit. An unknown girl shorter than Kokoro, also wearing the issued jumpsuit, walked up to her with a bright, energetic smile. 

“Kokoro-cha~n! Let’s go play in the field before classes start!” the girl urged, but Kokoro appeared rather disturbed. “What’s wrong…?” 

“Momohime… Get away from me for a bit… Please,” Kokoro sharply stated, and the girl named Momohime tilted her head in confusion. Kokoro already had her hand over her eyes, and she was visibly getting more irritated. Momohime still nudged Kokoro, and after a few seconds, Kokoro lashed out. 

Kurumi could not hear what Kokoro yelled out at that moment, but she saw what both Kokoro and Momohime saw. 

Kokoro gave Momohime a terrible hallucination. Zombies, attacking Momohime from every direction, making the girl scream and cover herself up as much as she could. Luckily, an institution staff came along to rescue the girl, breaking her from Kokoro’s hallucinations. Momohime was able to run away and escape, but the staff member was not so lucky. 

More staff members came along but were instantly trapped in Kokoro’s hallucinations. “Get away from me! All of you!” she yelled, watching as the staff members take out their guns and pull the trigger. Getting away from the now bloody carnage of everyone shooting one another, Kokoro dashed out of the institution, where she met Shiori and Minami. 

The dream ended there. 

Kurumi took a deep, shaky breath, as if she felt the despair Kokoro felt in that moment. The guilt. From what Kurumi could see, Momohime was a friend of Kokoro’s, and the guilt of attacking her friend gave Kokoro nightmares. 

“... Don’t worry, Kokoro,” Kurumi began, patting the sleeping child’s head gently. “We’ll take away that guilt.”

* * *

After breakfast, Shiori and Honoka headed out to the backyard to start their training.

Surprisingly enough, Shiori spotted another piano, just to her right as she walked through the door. “Just how many pianos do you own?” she mumbled under her breath, but Honoka still caught on and smiled nervously. 

“Oh, this…. This piano is special. It’s outside for a reason,” she admitted. “Don’t touch it… It’s what I use to train.” Shiori tilted her head in confusion, but since she had no interest in touching the piano to begin with, she only walked further out into the backyard. “S-Shiori… Could you show me your power once more?”

But Shiori did not move. “First of all,” she stated, sharply turning to Honoka. The woman flinched at the slightly angry face that the younger made. “I want to make it clear that I still don’t trust you. Not you, Kurumi, or that damn Rika. Just  _ what _ are your motives, and why are you so intent in keeping us with you?” 

Honoka flinched once more when Shiori approached her assertively. “Please don’t think of us as having some sort of hidden agenda…. We’ve just made it our mission to help other Stranges….” admitted Honoka, fidgeting with her finger. “Besides… All of us here have one common thing with you three. Every institution runaway does.”

Shiori almost did not want to hear the answer. 

“We’ve killed someone and ran away from the institution. I can see it in your eyes, Shiori…. The thrill of having killed someone.” 

The child backed up. It was almost hard to believe someone as awkward as Honoka had the ability to kill someone, but she did not know what the woman was capable of. She did not even know what the woman’s powers were. “You’re lying…  _ You _ ? You killed someone?” she stammered. Then she saw it. 

Honoka also had the same thrill in her eyes, just as Shiori did. “More than one. I get dreams about it a lot, so Kurumi has to help me from time to time just to fix it,” explained Honoka. She approached the piano, taking a deep breath as she turned it on. “I haven’t shown you my power yet, right? Just…. I’m sorry for this…” She pressed a key, one on the higher end, and from Honoka’s body emitted soundwaves that stunned Shiori for a few seconds. 

“I can emit soundwaves. Depending on the frequency, the pitch, I can stun people. I think…. I-I assume we can use this same trick with your electricity… so that it won’t go rampant,” she tried to say. The look on Shiori’s face changed once she recovered, “a-and… please stop making the same face Rika does…. Please?” 

“What?” 

“You’re um… making a scary face just like Rika does.” 

Shiori calmed down, scratching the back of her head. Just because Honoka told her things did not mean she could trust her fully, but after hearing what kind of power she had, she thought she could simply go along for the ride and let her do what she was supposed to do -- help Shiori control her power better. Honoka moved away from the piano, and headed to the shed to look for a weapon Shiori could use. 

Then she pulled out a long wooden stick, and handed it to Shiori. “D-Do you think this one works? Can you charge it up with your power?” 

The child complied, letting the electricity surround the staff. The electricity, however, shot out of one end and singed the grass beside Shiori. “Ah, shit,” she muttered, gripping the staff better. Honoka immediately dashed to her piano and tried to find a note that could calm the current down. 

“That’s good, Shiori… Just keep it up.”

* * *

That evening, Shiori was the last to fall asleep. 

Minami came back from her training session completely exhausted, and had slept earlier than everyone else. Kokoro fell asleep in the attic, possibly due to Kurumi’s influence, and suddenly Shiori felt an overwhelming amount of sadness. With a sigh, she tucked herself into bed beside the sleeping Minami, and while mumbling a small  _ good night _ to her, she fell asleep. 

At first, Shiori only saw darkness, but she never dreamed often to begin with. As hours passed, she remained in the void until images suddenly started to appear. Broken buildings and the entire city void of all people. As the images started to flash forward, to the point where Shiori could not make any sense of it, the last thing she saw had been a static sight of a body surrounded by cars before she woke up. 

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. The flashing of the dream she had just seen was too much to understand and it gave her a terrible feeling about the future. All Shiori could understand, or assume, was that the body had belonged to someone she knew. If only she could tell who it was… 

“What the hell was that…?” she asked herself, mind beginning to race as she got out of bed. Shiori was starting to get antsy, and needed to find a way to calm herself down before she could even think about sleeping again. Quietly, the girl headed to the kitchen only to find Honoka, also wide awake and drinking a cup of tea. “You,” started Shiori, rushing to sit across the now startled woman. 

Shiori wanted to get to the point. She had a feeling that the adults know something about the dream she just had, and luckily Honoka was right there to bother. “I just had a dream, but all I can make out of it is the city being broken and… a body…” 

Honoka widened her eyes, hands drawing away from the teacup. “I… I had that dream, too, but I’m sorry… I-I don’t know anything about it…” admitted the woman, excusing herself to get a cup for Shiori. However, the child stopped her, swiftly grabbing her wrist. As the woman shook from the sudden action, she turned away and took a breath. “T-trust me, Shiori… I really don’t know…! I get many nightmares that I can’t make out very well and this is just one of them, and Kurumi has no idea what they are, either...” 

“That body looked like it belonged to someone here, though!” Shiori bellowed. “If I find out that you and the others really are planning some scheme and dragging us down with it, I will  _ not hesitate _ to electrocute every single one of you.” Despite her height, Shiori stared down at Honoka with nothing but anger. 

Shiori let her go, and stormed back to her room leaving Honoka stunned and unable to say anything back. As she went back to bed, however, she never got another minute of sleep. 

All that was in her mind now was the images she saw, and questions that never got answered.

* * *

This time, the one who arrived at the triangle table first had been Reina, but it did not take much waiting on her end until Miyo arrived. 

“Huh? Utano’s not here yet?” asked Miyo, taking her seat and immediately relaxing. Reina shook her head. 

“It’s okay. We can start without her,” answered Reina. “Besides, I came across something rather interesting, but that would probably piss her off if we talk about it. It looks like our  _ old friends _ are making a move. “ 

Miyo widened her eyes. “... Them?” Her eyebrows furrowed in rage, teeth clenching as her fists trembled. “Do they know of the plan yet? Don’t tell me they caught on with what we’re doing…” But Reina shook her head once more, relieving Miyo of some anger as the woman sighed. “So what are  _ our friends _ doing now? Surely they’re not causing trouble that’ll affect the plan.”

“As long as they don’t find out, they won’t interfere. I just happen to come across the one child from the institution I was eyeing. I knew she ran away, so I can’t use her any longer, but what was even more interesting was the fact that the one person Utano despises is with her.” Reina snickered, leaning back on her chair. “But never mind them. What’s more important is the plan. How’s things with the Yamazaki kid?” 

Miyo went back to relaxing on her chair, placing her hands on the back of her head as usual. “Eh, y’know. A mess, but lately I got to see just how powerful her abilities are. The kid has potential once her control is refined.” She took a deep breath, peeling the bandage she had on the cut on her finger. The blood flowed out just as it did last time, and she was able to manifest a sword out of it. 

“Nah, the kid can do bigger weapons than what I can copy. Artificials are always harder to copy, especially if they’re Pure.” 

Reina smiled. “I can’t wait to meet Yamazaki, then.” 

“Just what are you planning to do with these kids anyway?” Utano had just walked in the room, and overheard the last bit of their conversation about the Artificial. As she took her seat, she sighed. “The ones I’m watching over are also making good progress with their power control. Kiyono can lift things as heavy as cars, and Eguchi’s been working towards being able to melt through metal with her acid.” 

Nodding in satisfaction, Reina nodded once more. “Okay. One more day and I’ll be able to give them new  _ memories _ . Good work, you two. Go rest for the evening.” 

“... Reina…” started Miyo. “Just what are you planning? Why are you targeting children from the institution?” 

But all she got was a smile from Reina, and two words. 

“You’ll see.”


End file.
